Shoe arch support apparatus



July 28, 1959 w. H. DOHERTY 2,396,229

' SHOE ARCH SUPPORT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILLIAM H. DOHERTY WW/QMM his ATTORNEYS July 28, 1959 w. H. DOHERTY 2,896,229

SHOE ARCH SUPPORT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Evin! IN VEN TOR. WILLIAM H. DOHERTY '5 A TTORNEYS July 28, 1959 w, DOHERTY 2,896,229

4 SHOE ARCH SUPPORT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 n N K his ATTORNEYS.

United 2,896,229 Patented July as, less SHOE ARCH SUPPORT APPARATUS William H. Doherty, Rego Park, FLY.

Application September 28, 1956, Serial No. 612,697

7 Claims. (Cl. 12-1) This invention relates to apparatus for lifting shoe shanks to provide arch support.

Footwear has a tendency to weaken after some use and when this occurs, arch support for the wearer is greatly reduced if not eliminated. Attempts in the past to remedy such shoe weakening have primarily involved adding various arch supports to the shoe interior either during manufacture or after the shoe has been worn. These have not been altogether successful since such interior arch supports interfere with the internal configuration of the shoe and tend to cause discomfort. Furthermore, in order to add such internal support to a shoe after it has been used for a period of time, it is necessary to aflix an element to the interior of the shoe thus destroying the original shoe sizing, an unsatisfactory condition.

In my copending application Serial No. 522,688 filed July 18, 1955, methods and apparatus for providing external arch support in a shoe were set forth, such invention involving the utilization of means for raising the shoe shank prior to molding a resilient shoe bottom on the shoe. In the particular methods and apparatus described in the copending application, the arrangements utilized to raise the shoe shank proved entirely satisfactory under certain shoe making conditions but did not lend themselves to other shoe manufacturing applications.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an arch support resulting from internally raising the arch of the shoe.

It is another object of the invention to provide a shoe forming structure permitting elevation of the shoe shank prior to molding a shoe bottom.

it is a further object of the invention to provide a shoe form having spreadable side pieces and a toe piece in which an adjustable element may be actuated to limit spreading of the side pieces.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a shoe form having the above characteristics in which a laterally movable protrusion on the toe piece may be positioned to selectively stretch a shoe upper.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a shoe form in which the side pieces and toe pieces are joined by an arcuate spring.

These and further objects of the invention are accomplished by providing forming structure to support a shoe, such structure carrying a tensioning device secured to an element, for example, a loop extending to the shoe shank. Actuation of the tensioning device raises the shoe shank a predetermined distance and subsequently, a bottom may be molded on the shoe. The arch lift is preferably exaggerated so that the tendency of the shoe to lose its shape is resisted by the resilient shoe bottom. In order to accommodate this amount of lift, the shoe form is cut away adjacent to the shoe shank, and preferably the inner portion of the shank.

In one embodiment of the invention, the shoe forming structure includes an element that is adjustable to limit the spreading of side pieces by Wedging action, this feature facilitating the insertion of a toe piece into the extremity of a shoe thus permitting the useof the arch raising last in narrow tipped shoes. Preferably, the side pieces and toe piece are joined by an arcuate spring Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of'a laterally movable protrusion on the last toe piece to stretch a selected portion of the shoe upper, this arrangement alleviating foot discomfort in shoes formed with poorly designed fiat toe sections.

These and frther objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a shoe form and attached structure for use in forming a shoe with a lifted shank for support, in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 7 V V Figure 2 is a side elevation, partially broken away, illustrating a shoe containing the form of Figure 1 and having its shank lifted in accordance'with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a view in perspective similar to Figure 1 illustrating a modified shoe form in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3A is a fragmentary bottom view, partially broken away, of the shoe form of Figure 3;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a shoe containing the form of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partially broken away, illustrating a shoe containing the form of Figure 3 and having its shank lifted in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 5A is a fragmentary section of Figure 5 showing in detail portions of the shank lifting apparatus;

Figure 6 is a transverse section of the shoe illustrated in Figure 5 taken on the view line 6 6 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a side elevation, partially broken away, of a shoe having its shakn lifted by a modified form of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention; and

Figure 8 is a view in perspective of a modified adjusting element utilized in lifting the shank of the shoe illustrated in Figure 7.

Referring to a typical embodiment of the present invention in greater detail with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, an adjustable shoe form is formed of toe and heel sections 10 and 11, respectively. The toe section 10 is formed of two side pieces 12 and 13 joined by an arcuate spring 14, best shown in Figure 3A, located in slots 15 and 16 and held therein by means of angled uprights 14a and 14b extending into openings 15a and 16a. The spring 14 extends through a front piece 17 of the toe section 16 in another slot 17a, a screw 18 attaching the piece 17 to a flexible sole plate 19. A slot 1% in the sole plate 19 permits relative movement between the toe and heel sections, the latter section 11.

being fastened to the plate 19 by a nut and bolt combination 19b extending through the slot 19a (Figure 4).

The side pieces 12 and 13 .are tapered on their opposing edges to form a wedge shaped opening therebetween receiving a wedge 20. An adjusting element 21 (Figures 1, 3 and 4) is provided between the wedge 20 and the toe piece 17 to control spreading of the side pieces 12 and 13 when the form is urged into a shoe, as will be apparent from the following discussion. j j

The element 21 is formed by a threaded rod 22 extending into an opening 17b in the toe piece 17, an eyelet 23 on the forward end of the rod 22 receiving a pin 24 to hold it in the opening 17b. The other end of the rod 22 extends into a metal lined apertureZOa in the wedge 20. A rotatable threaded collar 25 carried by the rod 22 may be adjustedlongitudinally along the rod 22, its,

position determining. the. extent of the forward progress of the wedge under pressure which, in turn, determines the distance the side pieces 12 and 13 are spread apart. It is desirable. to place indicia' 262 and 27 on thepside pieces 12 and 13' opposite thecollar .to indicate the shoe width to whichthe form may-be adjusted by longitudinal displacement of the collar.

The. heel section 11 (Figures 1,, 2, 3 and 4) is con toured to a desired heel shape and formed with a metal lined opening 28 that receives'a threaded shaft 29 extending from a retaining pin 30 in an opening ,31 in the wedge 20. A nut 29a threaded on the shaft 29 bears againstthe heel section 11 to provide for adjustingthe shoe form size.

Also threaded on the shaft 29 is a. cylinder 32 (Figures 1 and 2)- provided with'a plurality of holes 33' disposed around its perimeter, anv actuating or tensioning arm 34 being selectively inserted into oneof the holes. The arm 34 is formed with a loop 35 adjacent to the end inserted in the cylinder 32, a check or holding element 36 bearingagainst the inner surface of the side piece 12 being slidably carried by the arm 34. As shown in broken out line in Figure l, the check element 36 may be rotated upwardly on the arm 34 to release the cylinder 32 from its secured position.

Referring next to Figuers 2, 4 and 5, a shoe is formed by an upper 46, avamp 47, a cap 48, a counter 49, a shank 50, an -insole. 51 having sole, shank and heel portions 51a, 51b and 51p, a welt 52, stitching 53 being employed to secure the shoe elements together. A subheel piece 54' is also attached to the insole heel portion 510.

Theshoe form described in connection with Figure 1 is formed to support the shoe 45, as shown in Figure 2, and to receive and tension a line 37 looped around the arm 34 at the loop 35; The line 37, which is in the form of a loop, may be fashionedof wire, nylon thread or other suitable material and extends through openings in the welt 52. If desired, the loop 37 maybe threaded through the insole 51b. A contouredrod 38 is preferably disposed along the welt 52'in order to distribute the forces applied by the loop 37 along the welt at the shank 50. A loop 39 may be formed on one end of the rpd38 extending out towards the side of the shoe so that it may be grasped to remove this element after casting of a shoe bottom.

As shown in FigureZ, actuation of the cylinder 32 by the arm 34 has resulted in'the loop 37 being placed under tension which raises the shank of the shoe 45 a substantial distance. It is apparent that strips, bands or similar devices may be used as tensioning elements in place of the loop 37 to raise the shoe shank 50.

Examining the function of the member 37 in greater detail, it is shown threaded through the welt 52 in the center of the shank 50 although it may be positioned on either side of the shank center, if desired. With the tensioning arm 34 located in; one of the holes 33 and the cylinder 32 rotated to place the arm loop 35 adjacent to the shoe shank, the wire 37' previously threaded through the welt is looped around the arm loop 35. Subsequently, the tensioning arm 34 is rotated away from theshoe shank 50 and the holding element 36 moved into engagement with the inner side. of the side piece 12. It will be apparent that such' rotation of the arm 34 tensions the wire 37 and raises the shoe shank 50. Preferably the inner-portion of theshank 5 0. is raised to provide arch support for normal feet; However in the event orthopedic correction isrequired in particular shoes, other portions of the shank may 'belraised in a manner similar to that disclosed.

Subsequent tothe above-outlined operation, molding bands 57, shownzirr phantom outline in Figure 2, may be positioned on theshoe 45 in accordance with the principles of my copending application Serial No. 415,283, filed March 3, 1954,- nowPatent No. 2,848,742

and a shoe bottom cast in the mold formed by such bands. In molding this shoe bottom, suitable reinforcements may be provided in the casting material, as set forth in my copending application Serial No. 522,688, filed July 18, 1955, relating to arch supports. After the shoe bottom has set, the bands 57 may be removed, the loop 37 cut and pulled from the shoe by grasping one end, the contour rod 38 grasped by its loop 39 and extracted, and the shoe form subsequently withdrawn.

It will be apparent that the amount of arch lift required is greater than that normally found in shoes since release of the tension on the loop 37 tends to permit the shank to return to its former position, this action placing the molded shoe bottom under slight stress. Due to this, the

toe section 10 of the form must be properly shaped under the shank 50 to permit such exaggerated arch lift, this being achieved by cutting away the last base plate 19 and side piece 12 adjacent to the shank 50, as can be observed in Figures 1 and 2. V

Referring to another embodiment of the present invention with particular reference to Figures 3, 3A and 4, an adjustable shoe form includes a number of elements similar to those discussed in connection with Figures 1 and 2, these elements being identified by the same reference numerals.

Present shoe design dicates a flattened toe construction resulting in cramped and injured toes. To overcome this poor design, a protrusion comprising a movable button 40 attached to an arm 41 pivoted on a post 42 may be employed on the, toe piece 17. The button 40 is formed with a resilient lining 43 and has extending downwardly therefrom a pointed rod 44 selectively inserted into one of a plurality of openings 44a. Of course, the button 40 may be formed entirely of plastic. In this manner, any desired portion of the shoe toe cap may be raised by the useof this last, as will be evident from Figures 3 and 4.

The heel section 11 in this embodiment is formed with slots 58 running longitudinally along its sides to receive the bent-in ends of a U-shaped retaining member 59 having corrugated legs. A transverse wire lock 60 has its ends bent to permit it to slide along the U-shaped member 59, the corrugated legs holding the lock 60 in any desired position.

The ends of the member 59 extend into the slots 58 through openings in the ends of a pair of supporting strips 61 and 62 that are joined to the sides of the Wedge 20. On the upper edges of the strips 61 and 62 are provided a plurality of spaced slots 63 and 64, respectively, selectively receiving the ends of a shaft 65 having retaining flanges 66 on its ends and upon which is mounted a generally L-shaped tensioning element 67. The short arm of the element 67 carries a plurality of slots 68 adapted to receive connecting means such as line loops 37' (Figures 5 and 5A), similar to the loop 37 discussed in detail in connection with Figures 1 and 2. The long arm of the element 67, when. locked in position, extends rearwardly through the retaining member 59 and is held in a selected position by the lock 60.

In this embodiment, the nut 29a carries a number of holes 2% to facilitate its rotation by a tool fitting one of the holes, this action enlarging the last and stretching the shoe.

Examining the function of the loops 37' in greater detail, they are shown attached to threaded hooks 69 (Figures 5, 5A and 6) received by threaded eyelets 70 in the shoe welt 52. It is desirable to use a plurality of hooks 69 to distribute the forces exerted by the arch lifting apparatus along the welt under the shank 50. Set screw plugs 71 may be disposed in the other side of the eyelets 70 (Figure 5A) to prevent the entrance of casting material 'When a bottom is formed on the shoe 45.

With the tensioning element 67 pivoted so that its long arm is in a vertical position, wire is twisted together at 72 to form the loops 37' disposed in a selected one of the slots 68,- theparticular slot being determined by the amount of shank lift required in any particular application. Following this, the element 67 is rotated into the position shown in Figure 5 and the lock 60 inserted on the U-shaped retaining member 59 to hold it in position. It will be obvious that such rotation of the element 67 tensions the loops 37 and raises the shoe shank 50.

The threaded hook and eye arrangement may, of course, be used with the shoe form of Figures 1 and 2 and has certain advantages in that a shoe may be formed and its shank lifted at any time by inserting the hooks 69 and the form in the shoe. If this is done periodically, the built in arch support feature will be retained in the shoe over long periods of usage.

In connection with the toe section 10, when the shoe form is to be used 'with narrow shoes, the collar 25 may be moved toward the wedge 20 to limit its \forward travel and preclude excessive outward movement of the side pieces 12 and 13 by wedging action. This permits proper positioning of the toe button 40 in the shoe 45 so that a raised portion is formed to accommodate any desired toe or toes of the shoe wearer to alleviate unwanted pressure thereon. The button 40 may be readily removed by withdrawing the pivot post 42 from the piece 17.

On the other hand, if a short and wide shoe must be formed, the collar 25 may be disposed closer to the piece 17 to permit the wedge 20 to force the side pieces 12 and 13 outwardly a greater amount against the shoe interior.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8 in which another arrangement for lifting the shank 50 is illustrated, a shaft 73 carrying retaining flanges 74 on its ends is selectively positioned in one of the slots 63 and 64 on each of the strips 61 and 62, such shaft carrying a pulley 75 having a recessed annular track 76 in which are formed threaded holes 77. A screw 78 is selectively inserted into one of the threaded holes 77 and an arm 79 into another related hole. The tensioning loop 37 is then placed around the screw 78 and the arm 79 rotated into the position shown in Figure 7 in order to raise the shoe shank 50 a desired amount. The remaining steps are the same as those described in connection with Figures 2 and 5.

It will be understood that the above-described embodiments of the invention are illustrative only and modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the specific apparatus disclosed herein but is to be defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for lifting the shank of a shoe comprising a form to be inserted in the shoe, and means on the 6 form extending therefrom into engagement with the shoe for raising at least a portion of the shoe shank.

2. Apparatus for lifting the shank of a shoe compris ing a form to support the shoe, said form being cut away adjacent to the inner portion of the shank of the shoe, connecting means on the form extending therefrom and secured to the inner portion of the shank, and means tensioning the connecting means to lift the inner portion of the shoe shank.

3. Apparatus for lifting the shank of a shoe comprising a form to support the shoe, said form being cut away adjacent to the inner portion of the shank of the shoe, line means on the form extending therefrom secured to the inner portion of the shank, and means on the form tensioning the line means to lift the inner portion of the shoe shank.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the line means comprises a loop threaded through the inner portion of the shank, and a contoured rod under the 'loop to distribute the shank lifting forces.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the line means includes a plurality of loops and a like plurality of hooks to receive the loops removably secured to the inner portion of the shank for distributing the shank lifting forces.

6. Apparatus for lifting the shank of a shoe comprising a form to support the shoe, a longitudinally oriented shaft in the form, a rotatable member on the shaft, an upwardily extending arm carried by the rotatablemember, line means on the shaft secured to the inner portion of the shank, and a check element on the arm to hold it in position after the line means has been tensioned by rotation of rotatable member to raise the shoe shank.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein the line means comprises a loop threaded through the inner portion of the shank, and a contoured rod under the loop to distribute the shank lifting force.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,290 Dubois Nov. 27, 1917 1,477,750 Endrea Dec. 18, 1923 1,783,600 Boyd Dec. 2, 1930 1,904,851 Bresnahan Apr. 18, 1933 2,473,229 Van Beurden June 14, 1949 2,558,740 Doherty July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 472,279 Italy June 13, 1952 

